Thanks to the good folk at Le Comptoir and HOTSHOT, “The coolest joint in South Hong Kong”.
特別鳴謝“南香港最酷的酒館”Le Comptoir和HOTSHOT友情支持。
插圖 /Illustration : Chan Li Li (IG : cluplup, chanluplup@gmail.com)
翻譯 /Translation : Jin Tao
Kenny Dope！Kenny Dope！Kenny Dope！MAW？新波多黎各靈魂，各種放克音樂根本就說不完。去看看任何元老級的黑膠碟收藏箱的話，保證會看見一些Kenny的印記。托Le Comptoir的福，加上SPITGAN一貫的堅持，我們很幸運地與這位大DJ在香港坐下一絮。
Kenny Dope! Kenny Dope! Kenny Dope! MAW? Nyorican Soul, Funk Spectrum it goes on and on. Go look through any self-respecting record collector’s crates, he’s gonna have something with Kenny’s imprint on it. We were lucky enough to chop it up with the big man AFTER his DJ set in HK thanks to the good folk at Le Comptoir and some ol’fashioned SPITGAN persistence!
< < English continues after the Chinese >>
SPITGAN : 不會混音的DJ到底算不算DJ？
Kenny Dope : 哈哈。現在有很多DJ，但很多只會使用Sync同步按鈕，我不承認他們是DJ。這些人通常被稱為按鈕操作員。
SG : 你來自一個很尊重DJ職業的時代。
KD : 當然。即使你學會了怎麼玩，也不一定代表……你需要懂得怎樣做混音。如果你跑到台上只會按按鈕，使用同步按鈕，對我來說，是很牽強的，懂我意思嗎？你光播放唱片還能得到更多的尊重呢。
SG : 是。
SG : 從小與音樂一起成長的你最早的共鳴是什麼？
KD : 我來自波多黎各的家庭，小時候聽各種拉丁音樂。我在叔叔那兒住時，又聽了很多靈魂和放克音樂。再加上我是布魯克林長大的，那裡什麼樣的人都有，是一個文化大熔爐。我左鄰是非裔美國人，右舍是意大利人，北邊有猶太人，還有墨西哥和波多黎各的鄰居。因此，所有的音樂摻雜在一起形成了很多不同的風格。
SG : 你還記得靈光乍現“啊哈”發現自己是一個DJ的那一刻嗎？
KD : 倒是沒有。差不多從一開始我就知道我想打碟玩音樂了。“啊哈”的時刻的話，我想應該是1997年。
SG : 1997年？
KD : 是啊。7年之後，我們做了新波多黎各靈魂。我當時覺得我們確實做了一些不凡的東西。
SG : 不錯，那正是我真正愛上你的音樂的時候。
KD : 對。
SG : 但是，可你之前也一直打碟，這個時刻是不是有些遲來了呢…
KD : 是的，時間過得很快，尤其是當你全身心投入的時候特別快。到現在已有25年，是我的第25個年頭了！感覺很瘋狂，因為89年到97年基本就是一眨眼的功夫。所以，當我徹底意識到我的事業時，就是做新波多黎各靈魂的拍攝時。當我看到整個房間里，都是藝術家，那種場面令我很震驚。然後我意識到，哇這太瘋狂了！
SG : 為什麼做HOUSE而不是嘻哈？
KD : 因為過去都是團體性質的。一開始我做嘻哈、打碟，但是感到很難融入，因為你需要一個MC，而我一直沒能找到這樣一位厲害的MC。 派對的話是不一樣的，MC總是唱片的關鍵部分，而我并沒有這樣的一位人才。所以這就是為什麼85、86年，HOUSE音樂從芝加哥傳過來，我當時在唱片店工作，也就是那個時候我們開始玩HOUSE。而當時的DJ有很多不同的風格，不只是一種風格，每個人都打出不同的風格。我當時覺得我也能夠做到這一點，所以我開始做自己的風格，等我回過神時竟然已經過去了那麼多年…
SG : 你是怎麼得到Kenny Dope的藝名的？
KD : Todd Terry取的。
SG : 但Dope是嘻哈俚語。
KD : 是的，我年輕的時候去他家玩，大概17或18歲的時候，我在他家看到了什麼東西然後我說“哦，超Dope(超屌)！”所以那天晚上我們出去，他向別人介紹我時都說，“這位是Kenny Dope。”我當時想你在幹嗎啊？
SG : 哈哈有趣。
KD : 就是從那時候開始的。後來我覺得沒啥不好，反正Rap里也會唱。
SG : 你能描述一下自己嗎？
KD : 誠實、謙虛，拼命三郎，勤奮，一切一切。
SG : 是否會有即興成分呢？比如你突然來了這裡（香港）給大家打碟。
KD : 是啊。我覺得其中最糟糕部分是交通。如果我能像“神燈精靈”一樣，這樣（打了個響指），就能瞬間轉移到我想去的國家，那該有多美妙，但現實中，這就是最困難的部分。實際行程、航班連接、漫無目的等待，有很多時間都耗費在飛來飛去的過程中。想想今天，我飛了六個小時，打了一個小時的碟，明天就要回家了，而明天又是一個漫長的旅程。上次我花了24個小時才到達韓國，從家出發到達下榻的酒店是整整25小時。瘋了。
SG : 像Boom Boom。
KD : 但當你到達現場或夜店看到那邊的人，每個人都玩得很開心，都是去找樂子的，你就會把一切不開心都拋之腦後。
SG : 有沒有對你影響較大的人？
KD : 嘻哈音樂的Marley Marl、Red Alert，他們都是技術流，非常高超的打碟技巧，有更多的選擇與感染力，不是被某種特定的風格局限。
SG : 你去過那些有異國情調的地方？
KD : 我去過一些瘋狂的地方。巴厘島就不錯。
SG : 你有機會享受這些地方嗎？
KD : 其實有。新西蘭，那處一無所獲……冰島可刺激了，因為那個地方，不管你什麼季節去，都是23小時的白天或23小時的黑夜。對吧？
SG : 沒錯。
KD : 再有就是泡溫泉，但你還穿著棉襖。就是那種站在外面快凍僵了，但是可以穿著游泳衣泡在溫泉里，對我來說特別刺激！我覺得特別享受。
SG : 聽起來很酷。舞蹈文化、DJ文化方面現在有什麼改變嗎？
KD : 嗯。我覺得技術已經改變了，現在我們玩的很多東西都是過去沒有的。但這都是人們不斷為我們開發出來的新玩法。
SG : 觀眾改變了嗎？場館？過去的銳舞文化很多都已經搬進了夜店…
KD : 觀眾肯定又年輕了許多，因為我從起步階段就一直在人群中，所以感覺一切又重新開始了。25到30年是一個輪迴。在那一個交接點上，我很幸運地能夠跟新一代的孩子一起，並將自己重新介紹一遍。
SG : 所以現在可以被視為一個新的輪迴？
KD : 當然了。毫無疑問。
SG : 哇，哇，哇。你有沒有把你的音樂帶到過酒吧夜店以外的地方？比如與藝術家跨刀合作？
KD : 什麼意思？
SG : 比如電影配樂、藝術裝置？
KD : 我做過藝術展示之類的東西。
SG : 女性是否能夠賦予你靈感呢？
KD : 每時每刻！因為你要確定她們會跟著節奏跳舞，這樣其他人才會跟著跳啊，這是最重要的一部分。
SG : 哈哈哈。
KD : 女性跳的話才會吸引男性們一起跳。
SG : 說道跳舞。你在製作音樂時是否也會想想她們在舞池的樣子？
KD : 是。絕對會。你必須要知道哪些音樂能觸動到別人的神經，做唱片的時候也要知道哪些能讓人跳起來，而且要能夠完全將它（唱片）表現出來，再進行測試，看看人們的反應，看看是否有需要修復的東西，這個過程對我來說很奇妙。很多時候你播放一段Demo，會看到各種反應，你會覺得要將這個潤音更加完美，要通過不斷調試，反正就是很屌的過程。
SG : 和Masters at Work製作以及和dolo製作有什麼本質區別嗎？
KD : 非常不一樣。我們現在是兩個完全不同的個體。而我們的音樂方向也完全不同了。
SG : 但你們還是？
KD : 是的，我們還會一起做音樂但都是不同的風格。過去我們打的很多都是相同的音樂，而現在就不同了。
SG : 未來有什麼能讓我們期待的新作品嗎？
KD : 有很多東西。我在KD製作商放了很多45’s的靈魂和放克、嘻哈。而Dopewax上，今年會有很多我們做的House音樂。
SG : 謝謝Kenny Dope。
KD : 好的，謝謝。
< < English continues below >>
SPITGAN : What is a DJ if he can’t mix.
Kenny Dope : Haha haha. That’s a lot of DJ’s now. A lot of DJ’s are using that sync button, but I wouldn’t say they’re DJ’s you know. Those are called button pushers.
SG : You come from that era where its respected man.
KD : Of course. You learned how to play, and that’s not necessarily…you don’t need to know how to mix but its a selection. If you gonna get up there and push buttons and use the sync button, to me, that’s a cop out, knowwhatImsayin’. You could just play records and you will get more respect that way.
SG : Yes. Growing up with music what resonated with you early?
KD : Growing up with music? That’s just it you know. Coming from a Puerto Rican family, I heard a lot of Latin music, but on the other side I heard a lot of soul and funk music from my uncles so I got a lot of that. Plus from the area I grew up in Brooklyn, there was a melting pot of different personalities. So I had African American to my left, Italian to my right. I had Jewish up north of me, and then my neighbourhood was Mexican and Puerto Rican. So all that music together was a lot of different styles, youknowwhatImean. So that was a beautiful thing.
SG : Do you remember…Was there an ‘AH HA’ moment where it was, Yo I’m a DJ?
KD : Well nah. Pretty much I kinda knew I wanted to play records and play music early on. I would say the ‘Ah Ha’ moment was 1997.
SG : 1997?
KD : Yeah. After about 7 years, after we did Nyorican Soul. I was like yeah we definitely did something.
SG : Nice nice that was where I really got into your music.
KD : Right.
SG : But that’s kinda late cuz you were DJing before…
KD : Yeah but it was like everything moved so fast. When your doing this time goes by fast. Its been 25 years! This is my 25th year! So its crazy cuz from ‘89 to ‘97 it just flew by. So when I finally realized it was when we did the photo shoot for Nyorican Soul. When I seen all the artists in the room that we put together, (it) was amazing to me. Then I realized like wow, this is crazy!
SG : Why house instead of Hip Hop?
KD : Um. Back in the days it was all crews based. So pretty much, I did Hip Hop first, I played it first, but it was harder to break in cuz you needed an MC, a great MC, and I never had a great MC to make records with. Youknowwhati’msayin’, it was different for the parties, but the MC to make records was the crucial piece of the puzzle and I didn’t have that person. So that’s why in ‘85, ‘86, House music came from Chicago and I was working at a record store, and that’s where we began playing it all together. And back then DJ’s played a lot of different styles, they didn’t just play one style, they played different styles. I was like I could do this and I started doing it, and next thing you know all those years passed…
SG : How did you get the name Kenny Dope?
KD : Todd Terry.
SG : But dope is Hip Hop slang.
KD : Yeah, I was at his house one day. I was young. I musta been 17 or 18 years old and I said something…I was looking at something in his house, and I said, ‘Oh that’s dope!’ So that night we went out and he started introducing me to everybody like, ‘that’s Kenny Dope.’ I’m like what are you doing?
SG : Hahah. Awesome.
KD : So it just started from that point. Why not? It was in, the rap.
SG : Can you describe your sound?
KD : Honest, humble, go-getter. Hardworking, all that.
SG : Is it impulsive? Like you show up here (Hong Kong) you play to the crowd.
KD : Yeah. I think the worst part of it is the travel part. If I could be like, “I Dream of Genie”, go like this (snaps his fingers), and land in a country, it would be beautiful, but that’s the hardest part is that. The actual travel, the flight connections, the waiting around, sitting around. There’s a lot of time where it’s just flying. Think about it today, I flew six hours. I played an hour and I’m home tmr. Knowwhati’msayin’. Tomorrow’s a long trip. It took me 24 hours to get to Korea the other day. Literally from my house to the hotel it was 25 hours. Crazy.
SG : Like boom, boom.
KD : Once your in the club or the venue and you see the people and you see everybody’s happy and there to have a good time, you kinda just switch that off and you know..
SG : That’s mad pro man.
SG : Who were some people that influenced you?
KD : Marley Marl was one from the Hip Hop side. Red Alert. Very technical. Those were technical guys. More about the selection, the influences. Not just one particular style. You didn’t…it wasn’t in one zone. That’s what I like.
SG : What are some of the most exotic places you’ve been to?
KD : I’ve been to some crazy places. Bali was really nice.
SG : Do you have a chance to enjoy these places?
KD : Yeah. Actually yeah. New Zealand. I been up to that place, I’m drawing a blank…Iceland was crazy, because its a place where whatever season your in, its 23 hours daylight or 23 hours darkness! Right?
SG : Riiiight.
KD : And then there’s hot springs there but then your in a coat. So its like your freezing out and then you go to the hot springs and then your in a bathing suit. So its the most craziest thing ever! So that’s one for me!
SG : That’s cool man.
SG : How has dance culture, DJ culture changed now?
KD : Um. I think the technology has changed it but we’re able to play with a lot of things now that we didn’t have before. Its upon the person, its what the person brings out of the gear.
SG : Have the crowds changed? The venues? There used to be rave culture now a lot of it has moved into a club…
KD : Well the crowds have definitely gotten younger again, cuz remember I’ve been there since the whole beginning so its like, its all starting again. Everything revolves around 25-30 years. So its at that point where I’m fortunate enough to be doing this and playing to a new generation of kids and reintroducing myself to them.
SG : So you see it as a new cycle?
KD : Oh no doubt. No question.
SG : Wow wow wow.
SG : Have you ever brought your music out of a club setting? Maybe with artistic collaborations?
KD : What do you mean?
SG : Hmmm…maybe a film? Art installation?
KD : I’ve done art shows things like that.
SG : How much do women inspire your music?
All the time! Knowwhati’msayin. That’s the one part of the club you want to make sure their dancing cuz everyone else follows!
SG : Hahaha
KD : Cuz once the women are doing they thing…the guys….they just jump to it.
SG : And dance. When your producing are you thinking about the dance floor?
KD : Yes. Absolutely. That’s one thing you have to know is how to make people tick. When you make a record you gotta know what makes people move, knowwhati’msayin. Its part of it, and the other thing is to be able to play them (records) and test them and see the reaction. See if you need to fix something, which is amazing to me. Cuz a lot of times you play something that is a demo and you see the reaction, and you go back and you go I can make this better and you keep tweeking it so thats a really dope reference.
SG : How different is it producing with Masters at Work than producing for dolo?
KD : Its very different. Cuz now we are 2 different people completely. We’ve grown in two different directions as well musically.
SG : But you still?
KD : Yeah we still do stuff but its very different now. Where as before we were playing a lot of the same music, so…we were making the same music. Now…its like…
SG : What can we expect from you in the future.
KD : There’s a lot of stuff. I got soul and funk stuff on the KD label which is 45’s, and Hip Hop as well. And on Dopewax we have tons and tons of house things coming for this year!
SG : Thank you Kenny Dope.
KD : Alright thanks man.
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